Reports & Forecasts: January 2026

Trinity Bay - East Bay - Galveston Bay | James Plaag
Silver King Adventures - silverkingadventures.com - 409.935.7242
In January, with some of the coldest weather of the year likely to occur, James looks forward to fishing for trout and redfish in some of the deeper parts of the Galveston Bay complex. “Fishing out in the middle is usually good this time of year. The old-school pattern of drifting around in water at least five or six feet deep in muddy streaks works great in West Bay. Of course, the deeper holes in the rivers and bayous will fill up with fish this time of year too, if we don’t have much rain. Right now, the water’s salty, and if it stays salty like this next year, fishing in places like the Trinity River, Hall’s Bayou, Chocolate Bayou and other similar spots will be good.
“With the cold weather, it’s important to fish lures the right way. Soft plastics work best for most people, because it’s easier to keep them close to the bottom, not moving very fast. People with more skill can do well on hard baits like 51- and 52M MirrOlures, working them low and slow. When fishing out of the boat, pointing the rod at the water during the retrieve helps keep these lures down close to the bottom.”

Jimmy West | Bolivar Guide Service - 409.996.3054
Normally, in January, the fishing becomes predictable for people like Jim, who have ample experience fishing all year. “We usually have reliable patterns come January. If it’s not way warmer than normal, we’ll have fish concentrated in the holes in the bayous. When that is the case, the fishing gets really simple. Anyone who understands how to use a trolling motor to keep the boat in the right places can catch plenty of fish, both trout and reds.
“With regard to the trout, fishing for them in the bayous is generally more of a numbers thing than an attempt to catch a monster, but we do catch some pretty solid fish working that pattern at times. Other than the bayous, the fish stay out in the middle of the bays, around some of the reefs close to deeper water most of the time in January. Out there, drifting is basically the only way to catch ’em. We usually throw soft plastics and work them in close contact with the bottom for best results. On fewer occasions, during prolonged warm spells when the tide fills the shallows temporarily, wading for big trout can be good, especially during the evening hours.”

West Galveston - Bastrop - Christmas - Chocolate Bays
Randall Groves | Groves Guide Service
979.849.7019 - 979.864.9323
In January, Randall finds himself fishing from the deck of a drifting boat more often than not. “This is the best month of the year to target trout and reds in deeper parts of the local bays, well out in the middle. We generally work to find our fish by looking for areas with lots of other signs of life and a diversity of types of marine life. Sometimes this means we are hearing pelicans dive into the water close around us on a regular basis, other times it means we’re watching big rafts of cormorants diving and coming up with their catch. Still other times we’re watching small terns circling and diving repeatedly.
“Ideally, we have some of all that going on around us, and we can see plenty of rafted mullet, or at least a few jumping occasionally. We’ll throw Norton Sand Eel Juniors in colors with red and gold in them most days, working the lures slow and close to the bottom when the weather’s cold and the bite negative, with more speed and erratic action higher in the water column when the weather warms up. The wading can be great too during a long warm spell with higher tides.”

Matagorda Bays | Capt. Glenn Ging - Glenn’s Guide Service
979.479.1460 - www.glennsguideservice.com
January brings true winter fishing. Wading the shorelines and reefs in East Matagorda Bay is the most popular option this time of year, with an emphasis on throwing mullet imitations for big trout. Drifting for trout over deep shell with soft plastics will also be a good option.
Post-front tide dumps will stack reds up in marsh drains and deeper guts just off shallow flats in West Matagorda Bay. They’ll bite mullet, shrimp, and lures like Gulp! and other soft plastics. Paddletails rigged on eighth-ounce jigheads in dark colors work well when cast at grass beds along the edges of the guts.
Fishing in area rivers should continue to be good this month too, barring any runoff. As we get deeper into winter, the quality of the fish in the river gets better. Glenn likes drifting the banks and hopping soft plastics off the drop-offs, but many times in mid-winter he catches the best fish right down the middle of the channel. For winter river fishing, he favors a mix of jerkbaits like Coastal Brew Darts or Bass Assassin 5” Sea Shads, paddletails like the 4” Bass Assassin Sea Shads, and curl-tail grubs like Big Bite Baits 5” Fat Grubs.

Palacios | Capt. Aaron Wollam
www.palaciosguideservice.com - 979.240.8204
By January, winter fishing will be in full swing in the Palacios area, and the fish will have migrated to their cold-water holes. Trout fishing should be very good in several locations around town. Area shorelines with muddy bottoms and shell in three to five feet of water will hold solid trout. Aaron targets them with Down South Lures in color X and White Ice. On warmer days, small topwaters like She Pups and Spook Juniors in chartreuse and bone produce great results.
The Tres Palacios, Colorado and Lavaca Rivers should be holding plenty of fish too. Coastal Brew Darts in watermelon red rigged on 3/8-ounce jigheads, fished slowly along the ledges, will usually produce some solid keepers. First Street Pier and Pavilion Pier in town have been on fire lately, with plenty of fish biting at dawn and dusk on Fat Boys and MirrOdines in bone flash.
Redfish have been biting readily along local creeks and shorelines. Lately, Aaron has been catching plenty throwing quarter-ounce gold spoons and red/white Hogie shrimptails. In January, with the coldest temperatures of the year usually prevailing, he looks for any signs of bait to decide where to fish.

Port O’Connor | Lynn Smith
Back Bay Guide Service - 361.935.6833
Lynn likes the fishing this time of year, when cold weather eliminates the need to leave the dock at the crack of dawn and fishing generally improves through the day as temperatures warm. “We like to wait a while before heading out to fish this time of year. I like to leave about 11 o’clock or so, then fish my way through the afternoon hours. The afternoon warmth heats up the water in the shallows, and this usually leads to a hot bite.
“One of the best patterns of all occurs on sunny days, when the tide has been fairly high, filling up the coves with water. The sun heats up the shallow water over the muddy bottom in the coves and lakes, then an afternoon outgoing tide dumps the water out of those pockets into the main bay. One of the keys to catching the fish in a scenario like this is to work the lures the right way. Generally, slow presentations work best, but the fish will have their heads pointed into the current gushing through the cut in the shoreline. Presenting lures with the current or at least cross-ways to it is often necessary to earn strikes.”

Rockport | Blake Muirhead
Gator Trout Guide Service - 361.790.5203 or 361.441.3894
In January, while cast-and-blast season winds to its end, Blake takes every chance he can to optimize both the fishing and hunting opportunities. “Normally, after so many trips into the backwater areas in the airboat by this time, we’ve located some pretty dependable schools of redfish. So, when the shooting stops and we’ve got our limits of ducks, we usually start the fishing off by targeting the reds in the lakes and marsh.
“This month, the tide generally runs pretty low, so we find our reds in deeper parts of the lakes and in the creeks and bayous connecting them with the main bays. On the warmer days, with onshore winds pushing tides in, they’ll spread out more into the shallow areas. Those kinds of days are better for targeting trout too. They bite best over a muddy bottom with some shell scattered around on it this time of year.
“We catch best using dark Norton Sand Eels with bright tails on most days, but on the best days, we will have a good bite on small topwaters like Spook Juniors. When the bite is toughest, we won’t hesitate to bring out the split-tail Gulp! shads.”

Upper Laguna Madre - Baffin Bay
Captain James Sanchez Guide Service - 210.260.7454
Above-average temperatures over the last two months impacted the big trout action, but James and his clients managed to catch a few measuring up to 28 inches. “If this January is anything like last year, we can expect chilly temperatures and possibly an Arctic front. When water temperatures drop below 55 degrees, I recommend wading along the edges of channels, fishing muddy bottoms in waist- to belly-deep water. Since trout and redfish will be holding on the bottom, we’ll slowly work KWigglers Ball-tail Shads in Plum Perfect, Bone Diamond or Naked Margarita rigged on eighth-ounce or quarter-ounce jigheads.
“During pre-front conditions, increased southeast winds and warmer water temperatures have led to some good fishing. After a cold snap, redfish are more resilient than trout and tend to be the first to move into shallow areas, with trout following shortly after. I like to target them around rocks set in a muddy bottom, and along windblown shorelines with grass beds and potholes, using Wig-A-Los or Willow-tail Shads on 3/32-ounce jigheads. Paul Brown Fat Boys, Soft-Dine XLs and Mansfield Knocker Darters all work well during the middle of winter.
“Finding fish means looking for signs of activity like jumping mullet or feeding birds.”

Corpus Christi & Baffin Bay | Capt. Chris Elliott’s Guide Service
[email protected] - 361.834.7262
As anglers transition from fall patterns into full-blown winter mode, Chris says they need to keep a few things in mind when planning their days. “First, we need to pay close attention to the water temperatures on a daily basis, accounting for what the temperatures currently are and what they’ve been on recent days. When water temperatures increase into the mid-50s, the fish will sometimes be quite active and aggressive, while a decline in temperatures to those same levels will normally cause a temporary slowdown in the action.
“Another thing to keep a close eye on is the solunar calendar. Personally, I’m not one to look at it every day and base my strategies on it during the summer, but in the dead of winter it seems to be more accurate in terms of predicting the better days and when during the day the fish are likely to bite. Because this is true, it’s important to time outings to coincide with predicted periods of higher activity, usually during the major and minor feeding periods. People who fish the same hours all the time often miss out on some great action, when the weather and solunar activity drive the fish into frenzies.”

P.I.N.S. Fishing Forecast | Eric Ozolins
361.877.3583 - Oceanepics.com
As we all know, January and February bring the coolest water temps of the year. On ultra-cold days, the surf may seem dormant, but on nice bluebird winter days there can be plenty of action. The Florida pompano run started strong this season, even with the warmer water temps we had during November.
For surf trout, calmer days in good water may produce some monsters, but don’t expect big numbers in the winter. Working slow-sinking twitchbaits at a very slow pace is usually the best way to target trout. Redfish of all sizes will be in the surf this time of year. Mullet is hands-down the best bait in winter, but cut whiting works well too. Remember, mullet must be under 12 inches to use until February 1.
This time of year in the surf can also bring a bountiful supply of black drum, usually as bycatch while targeting pompano or whiting with shrimp. Sandbar sharks will be around and can reach lengths over seven feet. Smaller Atlantic sharpnose and bonnetheads are more numerous. Any time the water temps run 60 degrees or warmer in winter, sharks should be present.

Port Mansfield, Texas | Ruben Garza
Snookdudecharters.com - 832.385.1431
GetAway Lodge - 956.944.4000
Cold fronts have been moving over the coast. This means lower tides than normal, so everyone should be cautious when navigating. It also means the fish have likely dropped into deeper holes. Smart anglers track water temperatures this time of year and fish where the water is slightly warmer. The cooler the surface temperature is, the more fish will retreat to deeper water. When it’s warmer than expected, they’ll push back shallower.
Anglers heading south of Port should stay in the middle zone of the Saucer or close to the ICW drop-off by the cabins. The deeper water east of Bennies Island is also a good area, especially the deeper potholes. West Bay, east of the American flag, offers good chances at a big trout. The submerged spoils north of Bennies Island also produce a few whoppers.
North of Port, the deeper potholes on the east side produce best. Water about waist- to mid-belly deep between Butchers and Dubbs islands has tremendous potential. On the west side, the Century Point shoreline is always worth a look. The area north of the King Ranch Pier up to Little Bay can provide steady action too.

Lower Laguna Madre - South Padre - Port Isabel
Aaron Cisneros | tightlinescharters.com - 956.639.1941
With cooler weather and falling water temperatures arriving in South Texas, patterns in the Lower Laguna Madre have shifted. Lately, Aaron is finding the best concentrations of trout in depths ranging from three to four feet, mostly in areas with a grassy bottom scattered with bright sandy potholes. As usual, finding concentrations of baitfish like mullet is the best way to locate predators.
When the weather warms, the fish tend to move back to slightly shallower water over a firmer bottom. Then, Aaron catches better in depths under three feet. When the fish are deeper, he rigs his ZMan lures on eighth-ounce heads; when they move shallower, he prefers Texas Eye weedless heads in either eighth- or sixteenth-ounce. When they’re deeper, he works the lures slowly and close to the bottom; when they’re shallower, he speeds up and adds more erratic motion.
Redfish have generally been reliable on shallow, muddy flats with some potholes. When temperatures decline rapidly, they move to deeper water and become tougher to catch while they wait on warmer water to return. In that situation, working dark ZMan DieZel Minnows right on the bottom, puffing mud, is often the best approach.